2017 Portland Film Festival Recap

The 2017 Portland Film Festival has come and gone and, from everything I've seen, heard, and read, it was yet another smashing success! I am very happy to have once again had the opportunity to see a few of the films that were presented during the festival and have collected my reviews here for easy access. You will also find a list of films that took home awards from this year's festival as well as my own "Festival Favorite" pick for this year.

Fake Blood (PDXFF 2017) - Movie Review

Movie Review: Fake Blood

Director: Rob Grant

The Story: Rob Grant and Mike Kovac receive a disturbing fan video inspired by their previous horror movie Mon Ami, motivating them to investigate the responsibility of filmmakers in portraying violence in movies. In their pursuit of the truth they are unwittingly introduced to the real world of violent criminals and their victims.

Break the Chain (PDXFF 2017) - Documentary Review

The Movie: Break the Chain

The Directors: Laura E. Swanson and Kirk Mason

The Story: The film chronicles two survivors of Human Trafficking - providing a detailed look at how trafficking goes unnoticed within our backyards. Kwami, a child survivor of Labor Trafficking, was enslaved for nearly five years with three other children in Ypsilanti, Michigan before anyone noticed. Debbie, a survivor of Sex Trafficking, takes us through her experience of being sold for sex around the Detroit-Area between the ages of 13 and 18. - BreakTheChainFilm.com

Secret Santa (PDXFF 2017) - Movie Review

The Movie: Secret Santa

The Director: Adam Marcus

The Cast: A Leslie Kies, Michael Rady, Michelle Renee Allaire, Pat Destro, Drew Lynch, Curtis Fortier, John Gilbert, Nathan Hedrick, Megan Helbing, Petra Areskoug, Ryan Leigh Seaton, Debra Sullivan, Michelle Allair, Freddy John James, Eddie Jordan III

The Story: A dysfunctional Christmas party turns deadly when an unexpected gift brings out the evil in everyone and turns the yuletide festivities into a fight for survival.

The Hollow Child (PDXFF 2017) - Movie Review

The Movie: The Hollow Child

The Director: Jeremy Lutter

The Cast: Jessica McLeod, Hannah Cheramy, John Emmet Tracy, Jana Mitsoula, Genevieve Buechner, Connor Stanhope, Johannah Newmarch

The Story: A troubled foster teen, Samantha, works to expose a dangerous supernatural impostor in her new family and rescue her foster sister.